Holiness specially becoming the priests as set apart for
Jehovah

Chapter 21 specially presents what becomes the priests as set
apart for Jehovah: this more intimate nearness supposed a conduct
corresponding with it. All in their state must be fit for God's
presence. So it is with us.

Chapter 22. If there was, through weakness or neglect,
anything unbecoming this nearness, they were to keep at a
distance. Consequently there were things of which the priests, and
those of their families in priestly separation, alone could eat. It
is the same with us: there are things of the spiritual food of
Christ, offered to God, upon which we can only feed, inasmuch as the
heart is really separated unto Him, by the power of the Spirit. The
offerings themselves must be pure, and such as become the eyes of
God to whom they are presented, and a right appreciation of His
majesty, and of our relationship with Him. All this indeed is found
in Christ. No hardness of nature is allowed, but holiness. In what
is connected with our own joy before God, holiness must be
maintained in what is offered.

Practical sanctification in obedience to Jehovah's word

In chapter 20, where they are forbidden to follow the brutal
and superstitious customs of idolatry (to which Satan had degraded
man) and are warned against all impurity, which indeed was always
inseparable from it, and for which the influence of the devil gave
license, we have this simple and beautiful exposition of the
principle which was to govern them: "Sanctify yourselves, therefore,
and be ye holy: for I am Jehovah your God. And ye shall
keep my statutes, and do them: I am Jehovah which sanctify you."
They are bound to holiness and to sanctify themselves practically,
because they are in the house, and the Master of it is
holy. Sanctification supposed that they were in an acknowledged
relationship with God, who will have the inmates of His house clean
according to His own cleanness.

But then His word was to be the rule. They were to obey Him in
His directions, for it was He who was separating them to
Himself. This is a very instructive word as to the standard of all
our thoughts with regard to that. If any are in my house, I will
have them clean, because they are there; those outside are no
concern of mine [1] . Then it was Jehovah who was separating them
for that. There are interesting instructions with regard to what the
priests ate, which we shall find again in the following book, and
consider when we come to it.